BFGoodrich g-Force T/A family - The first g-Force T/A tires introduced were the radial racing slicks & rain tires used in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am Series. The g-Force T/A's were the first radial racing tires to be run in the series, & became the series' spec tires in 1998. Starting in 1999, BFGoodrich's role has exp&ed to that of title sponsor, & the championship is now named the BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series. The next g-Force T/A was the g-Force T/A R1. It's a DOT-legal competition tire that is the spec tire for the cars which compete in the SCCA World Challenge Series & is also available to Team T/A members for their use in club racing, track days & autocross competition. & now BFGoodrich adds the g-Force T/A KD Max Performance tire designed to make g-Force T/A performance available to driving enthusiasts on the street. If you ever wanted to use racing tires on the street, this is about as close as you'll come.

Note: A g-Force T/A KDW tire has been introduced as Original Equipment on the Ford Contour SVT in the 215/50ZR16 90Y size. The "KDW" in its name st&s for "Key product application: Dry & Wet traction," identifying that this tire's focus is to provide & blend superior dry & wet road performance.

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD - On the outside, specific tires have been developed for the left & right side of the vehicle. The g-Force T/A KD is the first BFGoodrich tire to feature an asymmetric tread pattern which features large, stable blocks to provide more outer shoulder contact area (fully 79% or the outer tread) which increases cornering traction & steering response, which is then combined with directional water evacuation channels to resist hydroplaning & enhance wet traction. Internally under their "BlackTech" high grip tread compound, twin steel belts are reinforced by BFGoodrich's "ETEC System" (spirally wound nylon strips) that provides excellent strength, uniform ride quality, & Y-speed rated (186 mph) capability. & for h&ling control & feedback, "g-Control" sidewall inserts resist lateral deflection & allow the g-Force T/A KD tires to generate its cornering force.

On the road, the g-Force T/A KD delivered a firm ride quality that confirmed its very sporty nature. & while it was praised for its responsive real world h&ling, its race tire like temperament made it feel a little twitchy over some of Indiana's road irregularities. The g-Force T/A KD's huge tread blocks reduce the number of pitches available around the circumference of the tire for the engineers to use to reduce noise generation, & its noise level was rated noticeably below the other two tires (however, with the radio playing, the windows open & the opportunity to attack your favorite curves, who cares?). If soft ride & low noise are your priorities, you will want to look for another tire. But remember, if you ever wanted to use racing tires on the street, the g-Force T/A KD is about as close as you'll come.

On the track, the g-Force T/A KD came into its element by providing very responsive h&ling & superior cornering & braking traction in the dry. This allowed it to run faster laps than our previous "King Of The Dry," the Michelin Pilot SX MXX3, by over 1/10th of a second. For that matter, compared to the Pilot SX MXX3, the h&ling weakness the g-Force T/A KD exhibited was slightly less steering feedback when pushed right to its limit. While expected to provide equivalent real world highway tread life, the g-Force T/A KD's superior performance on the track did come at a cost, as it was the fastest wearing of the three tires in our high stress test track test.

Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 - This Max Performance tire is described by Michelin as the equivalent of a racing slick with grooves, & its h&ling capability & dry road traction has made it our fastest Max Performance tire on the track.

On the outside, the Pilot SX MXX3 features a relatively simple but effective tread design made up of independent shoulder blocks & straight circumferential center ribs. On the inside, the Pilot SX MXX3 features Michelin's most stable internal structure. Its twin steel belts are reinforced with BAZ (B&ed-At-Zero) nylon for enhanced high speed & h&ling capability along with reduced weight & minimized vibration. Its lower sidewalls have steel cord reinforcements to enhance steering response & cornering stability.

On the road, the Pilot SX MXX3 was praised for its excellent real world h&ling & low noise levels. On smooth roads it offered good ride quality. On rougher roads & over pavement expansion joints, the stiff internal structure made the impacts more noticeable. On the track, crisp steering response, excellent feel at the limit & high levels of cornering & braking traction again confirmed the Pilot SX MXX3's reputation, & allowed it to run lap times that brought it home a close second behind the g-Force T/A KD.

Pirelli PZERO System Asimmetrico - Pirelli's PZERO System offers two tread patterns. The PZERO Asimmetrico that we tested is designed for all four wheel positions of front-wheel drive, front-engined rear-wheel drive cars (like the BMW 328i) & all track driven cars. The PZERO Asimmetrico is also used on the rear axle of mid-, & rear-engined cars in conjunction with the PZERO Directionale tires on the front axle, or when aquaplaning resistance has the highest priority for a front-engined car.

The PZERO Asimmetrico is Pirelli's most complete & advanced answer to power control & transmission of torque to the road when the requirements of dry performance outweigh the dem& for maximum resistance to aquaplaning. Pirelli uses a special blend of silica & synthetic polymers to enhance wet weather grip, two high-density steel belts reinforced by twin zero degree nylon caps to improve high speed capability & cornering stability, & a carcass design that combines a rayon cord body with a special kevlar reinforcement to enhance responsiveness.

On the road, the PZERO Asimmetrico was given good marks for its ride quality, noise level & real world h&ling. On the track, the PZERO Asimmetrico's excellent response & h&ling couldn't make up for its slightly lower level of grip, & its lap times could not match the other two tires. The PZERO Asimmetrico showed the least wear at the end of the day & proved to have the most durable tread design & compound for high stress use. Overall the PZERO Asimmetrico offers great dry road & track performance.

 

TEST RESULTS	BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD Max Performance 225/45R17	Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 Max Performance 225/45R17	Pirelli PZERO Asimmetrico Max Performance 225/45R17
REAL WORLD ROAD RIDE RATINGS
Ride Comfort	6.64	6.88	7.32
Noise Comfort	5.88	7.52	7.48
H&ling	8.32	8.48	8.32
Road Rating	6.95	7.63	7.71
PERFORMANCE TEST TRACK DRIVE RATINGS
Traction	8.96	8.62	8.48
Response	8.72	8.60	8.32
Braking	8.80	8.48	8.28
H&ling	8.68	8.96	8.20
Track Rating	8.79	8.67	8.32
Combined	8.00	8.22	8.06
PERFORMANCE TEST TRACK DRIVE LAP TIMES
Lap Time (Sec.)	31.07	31.23	31.41